.the gpb kids.

Chez Panisse, Part II

Posted by Jules - July 4, 2008 at 02:07:03 pm

As mike is a man of few words when it comes to posts, it’s up to me to fill in the gaps. I was lucky enough to score a reservation for Chez Panisse downstairs on the day of Mike’s bday. It was interesting to note that there were subtle differences in cooking techniques and listed ingredients in the online menu (posted days in advance) and the printed menu at the table when we arrived. These differences appeared to depend on how the chef wanted to showcase the local vegetables and fish that actually arrived that day. For example, a substitution of sockeye salmon in place of king salmon occurred because that was what their fisherperson happened to catch. Same with the vegetables. I like this fluid kind of dinner planning. It ensures that the ensuing meal will always be created from the freshest and tastiest items on hand, even if it isn’t what you were expecting. I guess that might be hard if you are a picky eater. But I am a lover of all vegetables~ even the bitter ones. As long as they are prepared properly. Ehehehe…

The courses that were served (my additions are in [brackets]):

Tuesday, July 1
Raw Sockeye salmon salad with spicy cucumbers, green beans [haricots verts] and [cherry] tomatoes
Steamed pork dumplings with scallions and new garlic broth
Grilled Sonoma Liberty duck breast with cherries, mustard greens, [yellow carrots], turnips and fried ginger +[delicious breaded? potatoes! WHAT did they do to those potatoes?! So good d(^_^)b]
Frog Hollow Farm apricot tart with cardamom ice cream

Mike and I really enjoyed the meal. Each course was executed beautifully. We both agreed that the highlight of the meal was the raw sockeye salad. The thinly sliced sheets of salmon were deliciously buttery and flavorful, and the crisp salad and sprigs of anise like coriander provided interesting texture and flavor contrasts. In addition, the dressing was amazing. Some combination of shallots, finely minced ginger, olive oil, and mysterious spices lent additional depth. The dressing actually reminds me of the ginger/green onion/oil dice that you dip chicken into in chinese cuisine, but taken up a few notches and polished to a sophisticated sheen.

We also had a glass of whatever the sommelier decided to make the glass of the day. It was some type of red wine that I can’t remember the name of, but even mike declared it “tasty”. And he doesn’t even like wine And the apricots on that tart were the most intensely apricot-ty apricots I have ever eaten. They were what all apricots should strive to be. And I don’t usually like to eat apricots. Ahem.

The service was excellent and attentive, without being obtrusive. And our glasses were refilled constantly. And they timed our courses properly. And they let us sit there for 3 hours. A short meal it was not, but I thought it was well worth it. Now time to save up my pocket change so I can go again.

Chez Panisse

Posted by Mike - July 2, 2008 at 08:07:55 am

Jules decided to go to Chez Panisse for my birthday yesterday. It was delicious! Here are some pictures:

Featured Produce of the Month: Cherries!

Posted by Jules - June 5, 2008 at 08:06:52 pm

summer time = cherry time! Yay! I had quite a few handfuls of delicious cherries at lab today, and now that I’m back at home, it’s time for another bowl. Mmmmm…

Mmm… noodles

Posted by Mike - May 20, 2008 at 01:05:29 pm

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This is where I like to eat when I’m around campus. It’s easy, it’s fast, and I know what I like.
I noticed the yellow line for the road is a little messed up on Shattuck. >_>

Someday I Too Shall Have a Garden

Posted by Jules - April 20, 2008 at 02:04:58 pm

I miss having a sunny backyard. These are various fresh herbs that I harvested from mike’s parental’s herb garden. It’d be nice if I had the sun and the space for a nice garden patch. Oh well, maybe in 6 years time. In the meantime, I shall make do with pilfered herbs. Bwahahaha… I’ve already made some rosemary-oregano dinner rolls, but there’s still so much left! I wonder what I should make next?

jules mood: Punching down dough is fun. It’s amazing how yeast cause the dough to double in size. Grow yeasties, grow!

Hdd and Oxtail Soup

Posted by Jules - September 29, 2007 at 10:09:28 am

My old PC died over over 1.5 years ago, but I’ve only begun to back up the pictures on my two hard drives this week. At the prodding of Mike, I bought a external enclosure thing for my internal hdd, and wah la! It’s nice that I have my pictures back from the last three years. I’m glad my hdds were still okay.

I didn’t have time to buy mooncake before the mid autumn festival this year! T_T No white lotus single yolk for jules.

On other fronts, I made oxtail soup by myself for the first time, and I think it turned out pretty well. A trip to 99 ranch netted me oxtails, carrots, ginger, dried medlar berries and dried longan. I thought I would have to make it without dried orange peel, but then I remember my packet of half eaten Jiaobao mandarin peel hanging out in my backpack (I used to get airsick all the time, so I would alternate between scarfing Jiaobao mandarin peels and Mentos. Don’t worry- the packet I used wasn’t as old as that). I started off on the stove, but then decided I wanted to try it in a crock pot because I didn’t want to live in a sauna for four hours and dumped everything in. I’m rather pleased with that.

Picture courtesy of efooddepot.com

In Search of the Banana Flavored Olive Oil

Posted by Jules - September 17, 2007 at 08:09:08 pm

It all started with Mike’s older brother’s birthday. On saturday, I went out with Mike’s family to celebrate his brother’s birthday at Luna Ristorante in Concord, CA. And the first thing they served us was bread and olive oil. They forgot the balsamic vinegar, but I’m not complaining because the olive oil was great. It had notes of banana to me- while this sounds weird, it was deliciously fruity olive oil. The rest of the food was also really delicious. Mmmm… anyways, back to the olive oil! I only had Costco brand extra virgin olive oil left at home, and it’s definitely a “cook with” oil, and not a “dress with” oil. So I called up the restaurant and asked for the name. The person who answered the phone was very helpful, but cautioned me that I would not likely find it for consumer use, as they buy it through a source solely for restaurant bulk orders. Martinis, made in Greece, ROKAI.

So what is the first thing that I do? I google it, of course. Unfortunately, Martinis is also a common name for an alcoholic drink of perhaps greater notoriety. And adding an “olive” to that search? These alcoholic drinks also come with olives. Extra dry. Luckily there is one hit, leading me to http://www.iloveoliveoilblog.com/. Sounds promising eh? In their review, they say,

I almost forgot to mention: we found Martinis olive oil at the local Trader Joe’s. It was a steal at under $10 and it was by far the best store-bought olive oil I’ve found in years. It had that robust flavor that really seems to typify Kalamata olive oils. And it comes the closest, in terms of taste, to the olive oil my grandfather produces each year on a small scale at his farm outside Kalamata. These are oils that want to stand on their own and demand your palette’s attention. They should enhance and magnify the underlying flavor of the (hopefully) fresh ingredients you drizzle it on..

So off to Trader Joe’s I went. And now I am a proud owner of a 1 Liter bottle of Martinis EVOO, made from Kalamata Olives. And at 8$, I think it’s a pretty good deal. And yes, I tested it as soon as I got home. I made Mike try it too (^__^)

Tonight’s menu: Linguine alla bolognese + ciabatta + banana flavored olive oil + 1 green tea mochi

On Vacation and Cauliflower

Posted by Jules - August 2, 2007 at 07:08:01 pm

Four days into my self imposed vacation, and I already feel bored. I guess vacation is more fun if you have someone to take a vacation with. I’ll have to see if I can convince Mike to take some time off so we can go carousing before I have to buckle down for school.

For as long as I can remember, I have been enamored by the broccoli’s albino cousin. The firm florets (though can you still call them that if they’ve been stunted at the meristem stage? I guess it falls into the same category of nonsensical food language that the word “vegetable” resides) crumble and melt beautifully with applied heat. When I was in high school, I would buy an empty salad plate from the lunch lady, and then proceed to the salad bar. Since we paid per plate of salad and not weight, I would pile the cauliflower in strategic tangles with great efficiency, stopping to pick up a little italian dressing on the side. I always walked fast at this point, because I felt slightly ashamed that I emptied out the cauliflower bin once more. But not ashamed enough that I wouldn’t do it again. This is what they call addiction, no?

Pasta with Cauliflower (& Spicy Broccoli)
adapted from the Zuni Cafe Cookbook

1.5 pounds cauliflower and/or broccoli, slice 1/8 inch
~1/2 pound linguine
6 salt cured anchovy fillets, chopped
6 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1/2 tsp fennel, pounded in a mortar (I substituted caraway seeds)
6 pinches dried chili flakes
1 tbs tightly packed, chopped parsley
Parmesan
Olive Oil

Prepare your pasta! I like it al dente and Mike likes it a bit past. I was making this for myself, however, so al dente it was.

Warm up a pan with olive oil, and add most the florets, leaving the small bits that will burn on the cutting board. When the florets are slightly browned, toss gently with the remaining bits and add a little more olive oil. Once the broccoli/cauliflower mass has shrunken about 1/3 and is mostly tender, add the chopped anchovy, garlic, fennel and chili. Add a little more olive oil, cook for a few minutes, then add the parsley. Taste and adjust.

Banana Bread

Posted by Jules - July 29, 2007 at 04:07:31 pm

What do you do when you realize your bananas have stepped well over the threshold of spottedness? Bake banana bread, of course.

Supplement with a healthy scoop of ice cream.

Nana, I am Legend, and an Assorted Motely Crew

Posted by Jules - July 8, 2007 at 06:07:20 pm

I have internet at last! Woohooo.. Well, I suppose that I have had internet since Thursday night, but anyhoo, 2 weeks of no internet at home really wears on a person when they are used to getting on every day.

Today, Mike and I stopped by the bookstore and picked up a few things- I picked some Nana manga (which I don’t like nearly as much as Paradise Kiss by the same mangaka, this one being more typically shojo than the other) and Mike picked up I am Legend by Richard Matheson and The Road by Cormac McCarthy, both of which were highly recommended by one of his friends. So we’ve been bumming around my place, reading books, napping, and eating cookies. I already made it through half of I am Legend before Mike wrenched it from me, claiming his turn to read. Apparently he decided I was to read The Road first before I could read I Am Legend. Pffftt… who made him dictator?? Hahah. But really, he was napping and wouldn’t have been reading it anyways, right? Man, and I just got to the exciting part T_T

Picture of the day- Some zucchini pickles I made! Wonder how long it will take to eat them all:

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